Blogging 101: The importance of social media

Happy Blogtober series Day 4 – you can read days 1, 2 and 3 here – today I’m touching on social media. Now I’m not going to rant about Instagram algorithms or Follow for Follow, but instead I’m going to explain just how important social media is for you as a blogger.

I’m writing this with the assumption that you have social media, whether it be just one such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram etc or all of them. In which case you might not even need these tips. But hey ho let’s get down to it shall we.

PROMO

I know it sounds obvious but so many bloggers don’t promote themselves effectively on social media. Ok fair enough you’ve scheduled some tweets to go out throughout the week but what else?

Social media is such a good tool for getting your work out there. Set up a Facebook page for your blog and share your posts there. Let your Instagram followers know about any new posts going live. Share your images on your feed or on Pinterest. Make the most of it.

TIP: Use a social media scheduler like Buffer to post at key times of the day. This limits you to a number of posts so you don’t end up spamming your followers.

MAKE FRIENDS

There is no doubt that Twitter is an amazing place for bloggers to meet other bloggers. Whether you’re using #lbloggers #thegirlgang to find new blog posts or if you’re joining in on Twitter chats, you’ll eventually make some new friends and discover some new favourite blogs.

CONNECTIONS

Just like finding new blogs you can also use social media to find new brands to work with. This could be on Twitter using #bloggersrequried or #prrequest, or through the many blogger opportunity Facebook groups.

If you’re clever you can take note of what brands are currently working with bloggers and reach out to them about future collaborations.

TIP: Make a list of when all the Twitter chats are on so you don’t miss nay. Also make sure you reply to other people’s answers rather than just sitting there for an hour waiting for them to engage with you.

BUILD YOUR BRAND

Social media isn’t just about sharing your blog posts and spamming everyone with promo. It’s about creating a brand and name for yourself around you blog. It might only be to a few hundred followers, but it will make a big difference to your work.

Look at some of your favourite blogger and their social media. Their Tweets, status’ and captions on Instagram have the same tone of voice as their blog posts. You recognise their style instantly, just like you recognise their blog.

TIP: Try to use the same tone in your Tweets as your blog. If you abreviate on your blog then abreviate on your tweet.

GET INSPIRED

Now we aren’t talking about copying what other people are doing but that is 100% a BIG NO NO in life not just the blogging world. But being on social media can give you a little insight into what everyone is talking about, what’s trending and what blog posts do well for other people.

This might then inspire you to come up with a new idea, feature post or even just start a discussion with others. Just how you might overhear something on a train and come up with an idea around that, you can over see something on social media – before you know it you’ve got a whole month of blog posts planned.

TIP: Screen shot anything you see that inspires you so you don’t forget about it during the week. This way you will always have a reminder of it saved on your phone.

OPEN UP

With the new intergration of Instagram stories to our social media feeds, the digital world has become a lot more attached to our “real world”.

Now we can share a much more personal side to our day rather than the odd tweet or photo. We can let our readers into our lives and thought process. If you’re looking to create a brand then opening up through social media is key to this. I gives your audeince something to connect to and a little taster before your next post.

TIP: If you’re going to be reviewing a product why not make a video for Instagram stories. It lets your audience see the real you and get to know the person behind the blog.

GAIN OPPORTUNITIES

If you’re not active on social media then you may as well wave goodbye to all those sponsored post opportunties and freebies. It’s very sad, but unfrotunately you could have an amazing blog and be brilliant at writing reviews and capturing an audience, but unless you’ve got 10K Instagram followers then you might not even get a second look.

Although this isn’t always the case, the majority of the time bloggers and influencers will have to meet a criteria. This could be anything from a set number of Instagram followers to a minimum DA score.

You need to be upping your social media game – especially Instagram – if you want to be noticed by those big brand names.

TIP: Start tracking your following. I know it’s not all about the numbers but it can help you to see what is and isn’t working on your profiles. Maybe you’re spamming too much on Twitter or not posting enough on Instagram.

BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY

If you’re using social media to your advantage. Promoting yourself, but not spamming. Posting quality images on Instagram and engaging with your audience through your accounts then you’re going to be taken a lot more seriously.

Just like how something as small as a domain name can make people sit up and listen, a well run social media account with an active presence does the same thing. If you haven’t posted on Facebook since 2014, or your Twitter is just a place you rant then this isn’t going to go down too well when your followers want to engage with you, or if brands want to connect.

Social media is becoming an important part of everyday life, and if you;re looking to be in the creative or digital industry then it’s important to get to grips with it sooner rather than later.

6 Comments

Dope post. Social media is such a useful tool in the blogging world. I like your writing. I’m going to follow you for more stuff. maybe you’d return the favour? Thanks! http://bit.ly/kidmentalistblogpost